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Fuel Production—

9th March 1920, Page 1
9th March 1920
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Page 1, 9th March 1920 — Fuel Production—
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Ourselves for Ourselves.

WHEN A ROBBER is rifling the silver chest • and has placed himself in a good strategic • position, it is useless trying to go for him until one has armed one's-self with one's big stick. Users of motor spirit have all these years allowed the petrol distributing groups to make their strategic position sound, and have, themselves, made no effort to counter the movement.

• Extraordinarily little encouragement has, in effect, been given to those sections of the Press (among which Temple Press journals have taken an active leading part) which have foretold the present situation, and have urged the development of all sources of home and/or Empire-produced fuels, and the use of those_ fuels as alternatives to petrol.

Hence, after reading the report of the Committee which has inquired into the question as to whether the petrol groups are making any undue profit out of our needs, and learning that the Government could, without acting unfairly or imperilling established businesses, order the price to come down by 10d. per gallon, one starts to ascertain again the whereabouts cf the big stick.

Of course, it is obvious, and we are glad that the fact is getting home, that we must go cut of our way to buy and to use benzole. Once the step has been taken, there is nothing but advantage to accrue, for benzole is the better fuel. Then, we must do more in the way of creating the right atmosphere for the encouragement of the production of power alcohol. The Scotch distillers are organizing for -the production of the raw material in tropical ,countries, for the erection, of distilling plants and for the acquisition of the necessary methylating plant. But, we look in vain for any sign of enterprise and effort on the part of our designers and manufacturers to meet the situation which must arise when a change of fuel becomes imperative.

The "wait and see" policy is not good enough. What is wanted is, at least, an assurance on the part of the British manufacturers that they are closely watching the fuel position, and 'that they will be ready with new engine designs and with proposals for alterations of existing engines, so soon as the new fuel becomes available.

We feel with Mr. Walter Wolsey, Junr., and those of the Sub-committee who agree with him, that the British Government must not move in the way of ordering a reduction of price until the future has been safeguarded. The task is, to all appearances, not insuperable. The allied nations would agree, and our late enemies c,an be made to agree. A rationing scheme might be necessary between the nations, and an undertaking with regard to prices that should be paid would be quite feasible. The neutral nations, as it happens, are not large consumers, and certainly can absorb too little of the world's supply to imperil the negotiations.

But, over the question of price hovers the shadow of a possible world's shortage, andstill more probable action of America in taking steps to stop exportation of oil, in fear of an. early failure of her supplies —all of which brings us back to production. by ourselves for ourselves.

Cannot we make a •real move in that direction? Use benzole: ask for power alcohol.

Demobbed Ambulances.

HE demobilization of the mechanical transport plant of the ambulance organizations that were called into being during the war has resulted in the acquisition by a number of local aut.horities and associations of motor ambulances for which we are all thankful there is no further need on war service. During the war, the Red Cross and St. John's Ambulance organizations necessarily had to acquire very large numbers of machines—many of them gifts, which would, in calmer times, have been rejected as more or less unsuitable for this specially humane purpose. At one period, almost anything in the nature of a motor-vehicle :chassis was acquired thankfully and turned to account for ambulance purposes. Not all the worst of themwere sent abroad. Luxurious pleasure cans were stripped of their costly coachwork and hastily-constructed stretcher carriers substituted thereon. Engines by no means smooth in the running, gears which were far too speedy, brakes that ware harsh or partially worn out, frameo an springs which had originally been intended for far different loads both in the matter of total weight and,distribution—these, and many other features, rendered the war-time ambulance in so many cases only a hasty makeshift at the best.

Now, not a few of these have keen presented for the service of public institutions and the like, and there need be no hesitation in pointing out that they are by no means ideal vehicles for their purpose: It would have been far better to have turned these warreturned chassis to some other commercial purpose, than to have fathered the pretence that they are ideal machines fcr transporting, with the least risk, wounded or damaged Imni.E.n beings. Cases are known where transport ha vehicles of this class has done far more harm to the patient than would have ensued had a horsed vehicle been employed. An ambulanffl should include a chassis specially selected for this work, and nothing short of that. The use of undesirable machines should be sternly discouraged, in spite of the keeneess of Disposal Boards to clear out their old stock any\ way and without any care as

\ to how it is used in the future.

Probable W.D. Transport Developments.

IN A PAPEft recently read. before the Royal United Servisse Institution, Major-General Sir Louis Jackson stated his belief that one of the greatest developments in the art of war would occur in the N. sphere of mechanical transport. The Tank, as such, he regarded as a freak, due to exceptional eircumstances unlikely to recur and, if recurrent, capable of being dealt with by other means. He pointedout that the great lesson taught by the Tank was that mechanical transport can be made independent of roads. Thus, we can imagine military transport of the future proceeding not in columns along the roads but in open order across country. Thus, armies would become independent of roads and the delays in advance or retreat due to congestion along the lines of communication would be eliminated.

If thi8 forecast proves correct, it follows that the .. army must become possessed of large fleets of chaintrack tractors. It is unlikely that tractors of the size and power required for military work will be wanted for peace-time uses in this country. Consequently, in

• the event of this development, the War Department would not be able to depend on the commandeering of vehicles or even upon any subvention scheme designed to encourage users to employ vehicles of military type. If any subvention were given at all, it would have to be in the nature of special inducements to manufacturers to lay down plant for the manufacture of chain-track tractors on a scale considerably more than sufficient to fill the peace-time needs of the War Department. A substantial output of such machines in normal times could only be secured either by an artificial demand from the Government or by building up a big business in the production. of caterpillar tractors for cross-country use overseas and possibly for zapid ploughing of very large open spaces. Where fields are small, the farm tractor must also be small, but there are regions in which it may be sound business to use a tractor large enough to plough anything from 6 to 12 furrows at a time. There are, at least, some remote possibilities in the direction of a tractor or self-contained vehicle designed to run alternatively upon wheels or upon chain tracks, utilising the latter only where roads are N ery bad, or non-existent. Some sligfit demand for such a type might be created even in this country, as, for example, for carting away farm produce, stone from quarries and so on, where it may be neceseary to traverse very soft stretches before reaching a nude road. The cost of this cross-bred machine would, of course, be high and, therefore, the subsidy necessary to secure its employment would also have to be high. Even so, it -would probably be a better financial pro position than one involving direct ownership by tht

• War Department of a complete fleet sufficient to fill its needs in the event of the war.

Wages and the Whitley Council.

HE QUESTION of the moveMent concerning

transport workers' wages is not Will there be

a transport strike ?/' but will Parliament give such powers to the Whitley Councils that there may be statutory force behind their decisional

The demand of January 26th, by the National Transport Workers' Federation, for an increase of 10s. per week in the wages of adult workers employed in the industry, finds the employers' side of the Joint industrial Council faced with a serious difficulty. It may be that the employers are not averse to a concession which would bring the war wage (now Ms. a week in the case of road transport workers) up to the level of 32s. given to the railwaymen, but the employers on the Joint Industrial Council, in the main, represent those who are associatethin the three ems ployers' organizations, namely, the Motor Transport Employers' Federation, the National Alliance of Commercial Road Transport Associations, and the National Union of Horse and Motor Vehicle Owners Associations, and their decision, binding upon the members of .those Associations, would act in the form of a penalty, for it would leave the 250 or so employers not in the association free to undercut rates. At last week's meeting of the Joint Industrial Council, On which both the employers and the employees are, of course, represented, the.negotiations, naturally., -broke down when the employers' side showed the difficulty in which they found themselves, and further discussion was postponed, until to-day (Tuesday) for the position to be laid before the Government. The Ministry of Labour is naturally, in direct touch with both sides and, although the machinery has been put into operation for the tendering of notices in accordance with local agreements and custom a strike is not very imminent.. Rather, it is expected that Government support will be given to some method whereby the associated employers may receive an assurance that the non-associated employers will pay. the additional wage charge, so avoiding the unfairness which, otherwise, would result.


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